Jam making

Today a friend and I made an impromptu trip down to a local farm to get berries.
We put my two kids' cars seats into her mini van and us and the five kids were off to the farm. Before we left we called to make sure there were still strawberries. Since our strawberry season here has been very strange this year.
When we got down there not only did they have lots of berries they also had yesterday's berries for five dollars less. They were just perfectly ripe and ready for jam making.
I got a flat and a half of strawberries and a half flat of raspberries.
I was able to can 11 pints of strawberry jam and 5 pints of strawberry raspberry jam. We even had some leftover to have tonight on shortcake and I froze some raspberries to add to muffins and yogurt.
I love berry season. Soon the blueberries and blackberries will be ripe and it will be time to do more canning.

This moment- Play

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. -Amanda Soule

Childhood play

I might be strange but I just love to watch my kids play.

I never know what kind of adventures they will go on.
It was so cute to watch them play playmobile together today. They packed up the motorhome and truck and went camping. They even took the little plastic people where they had never gone before... into the backyard.
I just love to over hear them talking through these people. Changing their voices for each person and using sayings that I find myself saying often.

Who knew that I would find such joy just watching and listening to them play?!
Being a mom is a true blessing.

Making cookies

While The Little Lady slept, The Little Man and I made cookies.
I wrote out the recipe so that he could read it to me and together we made some very yummy cookies.
I think that the added help from the five year old was the secret ingredient.

Homeschool lesson 1- Butterflies

Today we started our first (of many) lesson on butterflies.
We went over to a friends house and read a story and did a little art project. It may not sound like much but I really felt like The Little Man was catching on to some of the new concepts.
The art project was painting half of a butterfly on one side of the paper then folding it and leaving the print on the other side also. To show the kids how butterflies wings are the same (symmetry).
When I asked The Little Man what he learned about butterflies today he had many responses unlike when I would have him talk about school.
He said-
There are lots of different types of butterflies.
They like flowers.
They lay there small eggs on leaves.

We ordered our own caterpillars to hatch into butterflies this week and they should be here next week. I am super excited to see the look on the kids faces when the butterflies come out of their cocoons.

Saturday morning

My bed was full this morning at 6:45.
But its all good.
Loving life.

Worms

The Little Man found a worm while out playing today.
What is it about little boys and worms? There is like some type of magnetic force that draws them together... along with dirt, bugs and anything that's loud.
Our day was filled full of spring rain showers. Everytime the clouds would lift and the rain would stop it was like a warm hug... that you did not even know you needed.
Hello June.